Macarons

I first discovered this French delicacy not long ago, in May of 2006, to be exact. My husband and I made it a point to visit Laduree and we bought a box with an assortment of flavors to take with us on our visit to Versailles. It was one of the best things we ever did! After walking the beautiful yet extensive grounds of the palace gardens, we found a relatively secluded spot with a bench, sat down and proceeded to devour the macarons one by one. We didn't finish the entire box at that sitting, but they were certainly gone by the end of the day. After that experience, we spent the rest of our stay in Paris eagerly visiting one patisserie after another. We hit quite a few good ones, too, including Pierre Herme, Lenotre, and Arnaud Larher. Back here in California, and living near the famed Napa Valley, we are privileged to have the Bouchon Bakery close enough to satisfy our macaron fix. If you're ever in the area, you have to visit Thomas Keller's bakery and also order the TKO's! But back to the macarons. . . Another location in the Bay Area that you can get them is in the San Francisco Ferry Building Marketplace at a charming little boutique shop called miette.